The treatment of substantial proximal femoral
bone loss in young patients with developmental dysplasia of the
hip (DDH) is challenging. We retrospectively analysed the outcome
of 28 patients (30 hips) with DDH who underwent revision total hip
replacement (THR) in the presence of a deficient proximal femur,
which was reconstructed with an allograft prosthetic composite.
The mean follow-up was 15 years (8.5 to 25.5). The mean number of
previous THRs was three (1 to 8). The mean age at primary THR and
at the index reconstruction was 41 years (18 to 61) and 58.1 years
(32 to 72), respectively. The indication for revision included mechanical
loosening in 24 hips, infection in three and peri-prosthetic fracture
in three. Six patients required removal and replacement of the allograft
prosthetic composite, five for mechanical loosening and one for
infection. The survivorship at ten, 15 and 20 years was 93% (95%
confidence interval (CI) 91 to 100), 75.5% (95% CI 60 to 95) and
75.5% (95% CI 60 to 95), respectively, with 25, eight, and four
patients at risk, respectively. Additionally, two junctional nonunions
between the allograft and host femur required bone grafting and
plating. An allograft prosthetic composite affords a good long-term outcome
in the management of proximal femoral bone loss in revision THR
in patients with DDH, while preserving distal host bone.
In this prospective study a total of 80 consecutive
Chinese patients with Crowe type I or II developmental dysplasia of
the hip were randomly assigned for hip resurfacing arthroplasty
(HRA) or total hip replacement (THR). Three patients assigned to HRA were converted to THR, and three
HRA patients and two THR patients were lost to follow-up. This left
a total of 34 patients (37 hips) who underwent HRA and 38 (39 hips)
who underwent THR. The mean follow-up was 59.4 months (52 to 70)
in the HRA group and 60.6 months (50 to 72) in the THR group. There was
no failure of the prosthesis in either group. Flexion of the hip
was significantly better after HRA, but there was no difference
in the mean post-operative Harris hip scores between the groups.
The mean size of the acetabular component in the HRA group was significantly
larger than in the THR group (49.5 mm vs 46.1 mm, p = 0.001). There was
no difference in the mean abduction angle of the acetabular component
between the two groups. Although the patients in this series had risk factors for failure
after HRA, such as low body weight, small femoral heads and dysplasia,
the clinical results of resurfacing in those with Crowe type I or
II hip dysplasia were satisfactory. Patients in the HRA group had
a better range of movement, although neck-cup impingement was observed.
However, more acetabular bone was sacrificed in HRA patients, and
it is unclear whether this will have an adverse effect in the long
term.
The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy
of registration and the precision of the resection volume in navigated
hip arthroscopy for cam-type femoroacetabular impingement, using
imageless and image-based registration. A virtual cam lesion was
defined in 12 paired cadaver hips and randomly assigned to either
imageless or image-based (three-dimensional (3D) fluoroscopy) navigated
arthroscopic head–neck osteochondroplasty. The accuracy of patient–image
registration for both protocols was evaluated and post-operative
imaging was performed to evaluate the accuracy of the surgical resection.
We found that the estimated accuracy of imageless registration in the
arthroscopic setting was poor, with a mean error of 5.6 mm (standard
deviation ( In conclusion, given the limited femoral surface that can be
reached and digitised during arthroscopy of the hip, imageless registration
is inaccurate and does not allow for reliable surgical navigation.
However, image-based registration does acceptably allow for guided
femoral osteochondroplasty in the arthroscopic management of femoroacetabular
impingement.
We identified 11 women with a mean age of 74 years (65 to 81) who sustained comminuted distal radial and ulnar fractures and were treated by volar plating and slight shortening of the radius combined with a primary Sauvé-Kapandji procedure. At a mean of 46 months (16 to 58), union of distal radial fractures and arthrodesis of the distal radioulnar joint was seen in all patients. The mean shortening of the radius was 12 mm (5 to 18) compared to the contralateral side. Flexion and extension of the wrist was a mean of 54° and 50°, respectively, and the mean pronation and supination of the forearm was 82° and 86°, respectively. The final mean disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand score was 26 points. According to the Green and O’Brien rating system, eight patients had an excellent, two a good and one a fair result. The good clinical and radiological results, and the minor complications without the need for further operations related to late ulnar-sided wrist pain, justify this procedure in the elderly patient.
We used three-dimensional movement analysis by computer modelling of knee flexion from 0° to 50° in 14 knees in 12 patients with recurrent patellar dislocation and in 15 knees in ten normal control subjects to compare the The patients had greater values of spin from 20° to 50°, while there were no statistically significant differences in flexion and tilt. The patients also had greater percentage patellar shift from 0° to 50°, percentage tubercle shift at 0° and 10° and patellar inclination from 0° to 50° with a smaller oval-shaped contact area from 20° to 50° moving downwards on the lateral facet. Patellar movement analysis using a three-dimensional computer model is useful to clearly demonstrate differences between patients with recurrent dislocation of the patella and normal control subjects.
We aimed to determine the reliability, accuracy and the clinical role of digital templating in the pre-operative work-up for total knee replacement. Initially a sample of ten pre-operative digital radiographs were templated by four independent observers to determine the inter- and intra-observer reliability of the process. Digital templating was then performed on the radiographs of 40 consecutive patients undergoing total knee replacement by a consultant surgeon not involved with the operation, who was blinded to the size of the implant inserted. The Press Fit Condylar Sigma Knee system was used in all the patients. The size of the implant as judged by templating was then compared to that of the size used. Good inter- and intra-observer agreement was demonstrated for both femoral and tibial templating. However, the correct size of the implant was predicted in only 48% of the femoral and 55% of the tibial components. Albeit reproducible, digital templating does not currently predict the correct size of component often enough to be of clinical benefit.
It is difficult to determine the safe timing
of weight-bearing or reconstructive surgery in patients with Charcot arthropathy
of the foot and ankle. In this study the Doppler spectrum of the
first dorsal metatarsal artery was used to monitor the activity
of the disease activity and served as a guideline for management.
A total of 15 patients (seven men and eight women) with acute diabetic
Charcot arthropathy of the foot and ankle were immobilised in a non-weight-bearing
cast. They were followed at two-week intervals and bilateral Doppler
spectra of the first dorsal metatarsal arteries were obtained using
a 10 MHz linear ultrasound probe. The patients were allowed to start weight-bearing
or undergo surgery after the Doppler spectrum had returned to normal
pattern. The Doppler spectra in the unaffected limbs were triphasic
in pattern, whereas those in limbs with active Charcot arthropathy
showed monophasic forward flow. They returned to normal after a
mean of 13.6 weeks (6 to 20) of immobilisation. Three patients underwent
pan-talar arthrodesis to correct gross instability and deformity. Doppler spectrum analysis of the foot may reflect the activity
of the disease in patients with Charcot arthropathy, and may be
used as a guide to begin weight-bearing or undergo reconstructive
surgery.
Coccydynia is a painful disorder characterised by coccygeal pain which is typically exaggerated by pressure. It remains an unsolved mystery because of the perceived unpredictability of the origin of the pain, some psychological traits that may be associated with the disorder, the presence of diverse treatment options, and varied outcomes. A more detailed classification based on the aetiology and pathoanatomy of coccydynia helps to identify patients who may benefit from conservative and surgical management. This review focuses on the pathoanatomy, aetiology, clinical features, radiology, treatment and outcome of coccydynia.
Over a seven-year period we treated a consecutive series of 58 patients, 20 men and 38 women with a mean age of 66 years (21 to 87) who had an acute complex anterior fracture-dislocation of the proximal humerus. Two patterns of injury are proposed for study based upon a prospective assessment of the pattern of soft-tissue and bony injury and the degree of devascularisation of the humeral head. In 23 patients, the head had retained capsular attachments and arterial back-bleeding (type-I injury), whereas in 35 patients the head was devoid of significant soft-tissue attachments with no active arterial bleeding (type-II injury). Following treatment by open reduction and internal fixation, only two of 23 patients with type-I injuries developed radiological evidence of osteonecrosis of the humeral head, compared with four of seven patients with type-II injuries. A policy of primary treatment by open reduction and internal fixation of type-I injuries is justified, whereas most elderly patients (aged 60 years or over) with type-II injuries are best treated by hemiarthroplasty. The best treatment for younger patients (aged under 60 years) who sustain type-II injuries is controversial and an individualised approach to their management is advocated.
We present our experience with a double-mobility
acetabular component in 155 consecutive revision total hip replacements
in 149 patients undertaken between 2005 and 2009, with particular
emphasis on the incidence of further dislocation. The mean age of
the patients was 77 years (42 to 89) with 59 males and 90 females.
In all, five patients died and seven were lost to follow-up. Indications
for revision were aseptic loosening in 113 hips, recurrent instability
in 29, peri-prosthetic fracture in 11 and sepsis in two. The mean
follow-up was 42 months (18 to 68). Three hips (2%) in three patients
dislocated within six weeks of surgery; one of these dislocated
again after one year. All three were managed successfully with closed
reduction. Two of the three dislocations occurred in patients who
had undergone revision for recurrent dislocation. All three were
found at revision to have abductor deficiency. There were no dislocations
in those revised for either aseptic loosening or sepsis. These results demonstrate a good mid-term outcome for this component.
In the 29 patients revised for instability, only two had a further
dislocation, both of which were managed by closed reduction.
We reviewed 101 patients with injuries of the
terminal branches of the infraclavicular brachial plexus sustained between
1997 and 2009. Four patterns of injury were identified: 1) anterior
glenohumeral dislocation (n = 55), in which the axillary and ulnar
nerves were most commonly injured, but the axillary nerve was ruptured
in only two patients (3.6%); 2) axillary nerve injury, with or without
injury to other nerves, in the absence of dislocation of the shoulder
(n = 20): these had a similar pattern of nerve involvement to those
with a known dislocation, but the axillary nerve was ruptured in
14 patients (70%); 3) displaced proximal humeral fracture (n = 15),
in which nerve injury resulted from medial displacement of the humeral
shaft: the fracture was surgically reduced in 13 patients; and 4) hyperextension
of the arm (n = 11): these were characterised by disruption of the
musculocutaneous nerve. There was variable involvement of the median
and radial nerves with the ulnar nerve being least affected. Surgical intervention is not needed in most cases of infraclavicular
injury associated with dislocation of the shoulder. Early exploration
of the nerves should be considered in patients with an axillary
nerve palsy without dislocation of the shoulder and for musculocutaneous
nerve palsy with median and/or radial nerve palsy. Urgent operation
is needed in cases of nerve injury resulting from fracture of the
humeral neck to relieve pressure on nerves.
The use of plate-and-cable constructs to treat periprosthetic fractures around a well-fixed femoral component in total hip replacements has been reported to have high rates of failure. Our aim was to evaluate the results of a surgical treatment algorithm to use these lateral constructs reliably in Vancouver type-B1 and type-C fractures. The joint was dislocated and the stability of the femoral component was meticulously evaluated in 45 type-B1 fractures. This led to the identification of nine (20%) unstable components. The fracture was considered to be suitable for single plate-and-cable fixation by a direct reduction technique if the integrity of the medial cortex could be restored. Union was achieved in 29 of 30 fractures (97%) at a mean of 6.4 months (3 to 30) in 29 type-B1 and five type-C fractures. Three patients developed an infection and one construct failed. Using this algorithm plate-and-cable constructs can be used safely, but indirect reduction with minimal soft-tissue damage could lead to shorter times to union and lower rates of complications.
We describe our early operative experience with a new pelvic reduction frame and the standard of reduction of fractures of the pelvic ring which we achieved in the first 35 consecutive patients, with 34 acute fractures and one nonunion. The pre-operative and immediate post-operative radiographs were measured, using two methods, to find the maximum radiological displacement of the fracture and the quality of the reduction according to the criteria of Tornetta and Matta. There were 19 vertical shear fractures and 16 compression injuries. The mean age of the patients was 33.5 years (10 to 59) and mean delay to surgery was 4.6 days (0 to 16) in the 34 acute injuries. The mean operative time in isolated procedures was 103.4 minutes ( The frame was shown to be effective, allowing the surgeon to obtain a satisfactory reduction and fixation of acute displaced disruptions of the pelvic ring.
We retrospectively reviewed the records of 1150
computer-assisted total knee replacements and analysed the clinical
and radiological outcomes of 45 knees that had arthritis with a
pre-operative recurvatum deformity. The mean pre-operative hyperextension
deformity of 11° (6° to 15°), as measured by navigation at the start
of the operation, improved to a mean flexion deformity of 3.1° (0°
to 7°) post-operatively. A total of 41 knees (91%) were managed
using inserts ≤ 12.5 mm thick, and none had mediolateral laxity
>
2 mm from a mechanical axis of 0° at the end of the surgery. At
a mean follow-up of 26.4 months (13 to 48) there was significant
improvement in the mean Knee Society, Oxford knee and Western Ontario
and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index scores compared with
the pre-operative values. The mean knee flexion improved from 105°
(80° to 125°) pre-operatively to 131° (120° to 145°), and none of
the limbs had recurrent recurvatum. These early results show that total knee replacement using computer
navigation and an algorithmic approach for arthritic knees with
a recurvatum deformity can give excellent radiological and functional
outcomes without recurrent deformity.
There are no long-term published results on the survival of a third-generation cemented total shoulder replacement. We describe a clinical and radiological study of the Aequalis total shoulder replacement for a minimum of ten years. Between September 1996 and May 1998, 39 consecutive patients underwent a primary cemented total shoulder replacement using this prosthesis. Data were collected prospectively on all patients each year, for a minimum of ten years, or until death or failure of the prosthesis. At a follow-up of at least ten years, 12 patients had died with the prosthesis intact and two had emigrated, leaving 25 available for clinical review. Of these, 13 had rheumatoid arthritis and 12 osteoarthritis. One refused radiological review leaving 24 with fresh radiographs. Survivorship at ten years was 100% for the humeral component and 92% for the glenoid component. The incidence of lucent lines was low. No humeral component was thought to be at risk and only two glenoid components. The osteoarthritic group gained a mean 65° in forward flexion and their Constant score improved by a mean 41.4 points (13 to 55). The rheumatoid group gained a mean of 24° in flexion and their Constant score improved by 29.4 points. This difference may have been due to failure of the rotator cuff in 75% of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Thus a third-generation total shoulder replacement gives an excellent result in patients with osteoarthritis and an intact rotator cuff. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a 75% risk of failure of the rotator cuff at ten years.
Peri-tendinous injection of local anaesthetic,
both alone and in combination with corticosteroids, is commonly performed
in the treatment of tendinopathies. Previous studies have shown
that local anaesthetics and corticosteroids are chondrotoxic, but
their effect on tenocytes remains unknown. We compared the effects
of lidocaine and ropivacaine, alone or combined with dexamethasone,
on the viability of cultured bovine tenocytes. Tenocytes were exposed
to ten different conditions: 1) normal saline; 2) 1% lidocaine;
3) 2% lidocaine; 4) 0.2% ropivacaine; 5) 0.5% ropivacaine; 6) dexamethasone
(dex); 7) 1% lidocaine+dex; 8) 2% lidocaine+dex; 9) 0.2% ropivacaine+dex;
and 10) 0.5% ropivacaine+dex, for 30 minutes. After a 24-hour recovery
period, the viability of the tenocytes was quantified using the
CellTiter-Glo viability assay and fluorescence-activated cell sorting
(FACS) for live/dead cell counts. A 30-minute exposure to lidocaine
alone was significantly toxic to the tenocytes in a dose-dependent
manner, but a 30-minute exposure to ropivacaine or dexamethasone
alone was not significantly toxic. Dexamethasone potentiated ropivacaine tenocyte toxicity at higher
doses of ropivacaine, but did not potentiate lidocaine tenocyte
toxicity. As seen in other cell types, lidocaine has a dose-dependent
toxicity to tenocytes but ropivacaine is not significantly toxic.
Although dexamethasone alone is not toxic, its combination with
0.5% ropivacaine significantly increased its toxicity to tenocytes.
These findings might be relevant to clinical practice and warrant
further investigation.
The purposes of this study were to define the range of laxity of the interosseous ligaments in cadaveric wrists and to determine whether this correlated with age, the morphology of the lunate, the scapholunate (SL) gap or the SL angle. We evaluated 83 fresh-frozen cadaveric wrists and recorded the SL gap and SL angle. Standard arthroscopy of the wrist was then performed and the grades of laxity of the scapholunate interosseous ligament (SLIL) and the lunotriquetral interosseous ligament (LTIL) and the morphology of the lunate were recorded. Arthroscopic evaluation of the SLIL revealed four (5%) grade I specimens, 28 (34%) grade II, 40 (48%) grade III and 11 (13%) grade IV. Evaluation of the LTIL showed 17 (20%) grade I specimens, 40 (48%) grade II, 28 (30%) grade III and one (1%) grade IV. On both bivariate and multivariate analysis, the grade of both the SLIL and LTIL increased with age, but decreased with female gender. The grades of SLIL or LTIL did not correlate with the morphology of the lunate, the SL gap or the SL angle. The physiological range of laxity at the SL and lunotriquetral joints is wider than originally described. The intercarpal ligaments demonstrate an age-related progression of laxity of the SL and lunotriquetral joints. There is no correlation between the grades of laxity of the SLIL or LTIL and the morphology of the lunate, the SL gap or the SL grade. Based on our results, we believe that the Geissler classification has a role in describing intercarpal laxity, but if used alone it cannot adequately diagnose pathological instability. We suggest a modified classification with a mechanism that may distinguish physiological laxity from pathological instability.